Resistance of TiO₂-treated Eucalyptus botryoides Wood to the Fungus Ganoderma applanatum

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study is to investigate the resistance of Eucalyptus botryoides treated with TiO₂ particles to attack by the fungus Ganoderma applanatum. The Bethel treatment method was applied to wood specimens (25 × 25 × 9 mm) and compared to CCB. The wood was subjected to the accelerated decay test and characterized through Rockwell Hardness and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The TiO₂-treated wood showed lower degradation and greater resistance to the penetration of a steel sphere (Rockwell Hardness) than the untreated wood. In addition, the results of the TiO₂ treatment were statistically equal to those of CCB. The FT-IR analysis showed that the fungus degraded lignin and hemicellulose in untreated samples. The present results showed the TiO₂ efficiency in forming a protective layer on the cell wall and in preventing the development of microorganisms, a fact that verifies its fungicidal action on wood.

Keywords:
wood preservation; titanium dioxide; wood degradation